And no, we're not talking about that whatchamacallit end zone dance he unveiled after returning an interception 26 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter of the Broncos' 31-23 victory over Tampa Bay Sunday afternoon.

Miller -- a leading contender for NFL defensive player of the year, who gave his candidacy another boost Sunday -- swears he has improvements to make.

"I still feel like I have a long way to go," he said. "I feel like I have taken some steps and some strides. But I know that if I keep working with my teammates, we are all capable of getting a lot better."

So far this season, Miller, last season's defensive rookie of the year, has 15 sacks (including one Sunday) and 52 tackles. His interception, as well as his touchdown, were firsts for his burgeoning NFL career.

A naturally quick and powerful pass rusher, one of Miller's goals this season was to increase his field awareness, particularly when he drops back in pass coverage. His teammates have seen marked improvement.

"He's 'The Beast,' " defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson said. "He's a multidimensional guy. He can rush the pass, cover the pass and play the run. Whatever you think Von Miller can't do, stop it. He can do it."

Miller's assessment of his pass defense?

"I think I have taken steps, but nothing too drastic though," he said.

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His first career touchdown was aided by pressure from Mitch Unrein, who hit Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman just as Freeman released a pass. That made Miller's catch and a return a pretty simple play.

"It was a basic zone drop," Miller said. "I think Josh saw me at the last second and I was able to get my hands on it. The guys did a great job of blocking for me and I was able to take it to the house."

Freeman said he tried to sneak the ball past the agile Miller and was unable to do it.

"(Vincent Jackson) was basically running a go route and I thought I had a window to stick it in there, but it just didn't play out," Freeman said. "Those pick-sixes, from a momentum standpoint, are tough to overcome."

Miller's score increased Denver's lead to 28-10.

Veteran cornerback Champ Bailey was thrilled to see his defensive mate get in the end zone, but he couldn't resist teasing Miller.

"He had a chance for one earlier, against New England. It hit him right in the hands," Bailey said. "But he caught this one, so I guess he's getting better."

The Broncos' defensive game plan centered on stopping talented Bucs running back Doug Martin, then forcing Freeman into throwing when he had to, not when he wanted to. They accomplished their mission, limiting Martin to 56 yards on 18 carries for a 3.1-yard average. He entered the game averaging 4.8 yards per carry.

"I have to give respect to the Denver Broncos," Martin said. "They did a good job of containing our offense, for the most part."

Miller came away impressed by the Tampa rookie.

"He's a great running back and he does all the things you want a back to do," Miller said. "He's aggressive, but also patient, and then he hits the hole fast. He's tough to bring down, but I thought we did a pretty good job on him."

As for the first end zone dance of his NFL career, Miller said: "I don't have a name for it. I was just trying to show some emotion. I was pretty excited to get into the end zone."

New coordinator pushes Buffs to work, play at level he expectsJim Leavitt has discovered this much about his new defense at Colorado: He has some talent with which to work, but his players need to put it in another gear. Full Story

New coordinator pushes Buffs to work, play at level he expectsJim Leavitt has discovered this much about his new defense at Colorado: He has some talent with which to work, but his players need to put it in another gear. Full Story